Landmark Settlement Aims to Clean Up
Raw Sewage Discharges in Allegheny County

PITTSBURGH, PA – In a landmark settlement with federal, state and county
authorities, the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) has agreed to a
comprehensive plan to greatly reduce the annual discharge of billions of
gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways.

Under the proposed consent decree, ALCOSAN has agreed to a multi-year strategy
to upgrade the sewage systems serving Pittsburgh and 82 surrounding
municipalities. The settlement also requires ALCOSAN to pay a $1.2 million
penalty for past Clean Water Act violations, and to undertake $3 million in
environmental projects.

“Today’s agreement is the result of very successful cooperative efforts with our
federal, state and private partners,” said Matthew J. McKeown, Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General for Justice Department’s Environment and Natural
Resources Division. “We are confident that the remedial measures ALCOSAN will
be making and the long-term control plan the company will adopt, will provide
for significant and lasting improvements to water quality throughout the
region.”

“Sewage overflows can seriously harm public health by carrying dangerous
bacteria into waterways used for recreation, such as boating and swimming,”
said Granta Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and
compliance assurance. “Today's agreement will reduce the amount of untreated
sewage being discharged into local rivers by more than 22 billion gallons per
year.”

The proposed consent decree, which is subject to a 30-day public comment period
and final court approval, was filed in federal district court today by the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh.

The settlement was negotiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.
Department of Justice, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and
the Allegheny County Health Department.

“This agreement will lead to a dramatic improvement in the water quality of the
three rivers and area streams, improving recreational and development
opportunities along our waterways,” said Kenneth Bowman, southwest regional
director for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“While illicit industrial discharges into our waterways were virtually
eliminated many years ago, illegal sewage discharges have remained a very
stubborn and chronic source of pollution,” said Dr. Bruce W. Dixon, director of
the Allegheny County Health Department. “Once wet weather sewage discharges
have been minimized, our rivers and streams will become even more accessible to
those who enjoy them for recreation and pleasure.”

The federal Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of sewage and other
pollutants into U.S. waters, unless such discharges comply with a permit that
is protective of EPA-approved water quality standards. Each year, an estimated
22 billion gallons of untreated sewage are discharged into Pittsburgh-area
waters from hundreds of mostly unpermitted sewage system outfalls. These
discharges often occur when the capacity of the sewer system is overwhelmed by
wet weather conditions, including storm water runoff and snow melts. Sewage
overflows carry dangerous bacteria into waterways where people boat, swim and
wade, and affect some of the region’s drinking water sources.

The settlement requires ALCOSAN to submit a wet weather plan to EPA that would
resolve a majority of the untreated discharges from the sewer systems by 2026.
The $3 million in environmental projects will include stream restoration work
and other projects to better control harmful storm water runoff. The $1.2
million penalty will be shared equally by the United States, the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, and Allegheny County.

The judicial settlement with ALCOSAN complements a 2003 voluntary agreement by
the 83 municipalities to monitor flow throughout the regional sewer system, and
to work with ALCOSAN to identify and implement controls to avoid sewage
overflows into local waters.

Today’s settlement with ALCOSAN and the 2003 voluntary agreement with the
municipalities together represent one of the nation’s largest settlements of a
Clean Water Act case involving sewage overflows – in terms of the number of
municipalities affected and the extensive nature of the sewer system upgrade.

A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of Justice Web site
at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

Additional information on controlling sewage overflows and a copy of the
settlement is available at http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/npdes/index.htm.